The present invention relates to an infant care apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for providing facilities for the care of the infant and having an audible and/or light producing alarm device physically isolated from the infant.
There are, of course, many devices or apparatus for the care of an infant and, among such differing apparatus, there are infant warmers that are basically planar surfaces on which the infant is positioned and which planar surfaces generally include side guards to keep the infant safely within the confines of the apparatus. A radiant or other type of heater is provided overhead that directs infrared energy toward the infant resting on the planar surface to warm that infant.
There are also infant incubators and which are more confined enclosures that contain the infant within an enclosed controlled atmosphere that provides heat to the infant and also may provide control of humidity in the enclosed environment. Such incubators maintain the infant for long periods of time and generally include handholes to access the infant to carry out interventions on the infant and also have larger doors that can be opened to access the infant or to insert or remove the infant to and from the incubator.
With either type of infant care apparatus as well as potentially other types of apparatus that may provide a means of care to an infant, the apparatus generally includes an alarm system to provide notice to the caregiver that some condition or parameter is outside a prescribed limit i.e. that some function of the apparatus is improperly functioning or the infant is experiencing some problem. Accordingly, such alarms can be indicative of any number of different conditions of the apparatus or the infant.
In the case of an alarm system, when an alarm condition is sensed, the alarm system sends a signal to a sound producing device, such as a speaker, and/or to a light producing device so that the caregiver can have an audible or visible indication that the alarm condition has occurred and the alarm triggered. Thus, the caregiver can recognize the triggering of the alarm and take whatever action is necessary to alleviate the alarm condition.
One difficulty with current alarm systems, however, is that an infant in the care of such infant care apparatus is generally in a fragile condition and is quickly startled by stimuli from the surrounding environment. Such startling events, however, are not conducive to the well being of the infant and it would be more preferable for the infant to be maintained in a quiet, undisturbed environment. In effect, it is important for the sound or light indicative of an alarm condition to be prominent in order to capture the attention of the attending personnel that may be occupied with numerous duties, yet that same attention capturing feature is undesirable if it reaches the infant and creates stress in that infant.
Thus, in the event of an alarm activation, the infant can be startled by the activation of an audible alarm if that sound producing device is near the infant and the sound is directly communicated to that infant. Similarly, the infant can be startled by a light producing device indicative of an alarm if the light can be seen by that infant. Unfortunately, current alarm signaling devices, including sound producing and light producing devices, are normally positioned relatively high up on the infant care apparatus, generally near the control module for that apparatus and the location is such that any activation of the light or sound producing devices startles the infant when resting within the normal infant compartment of the apparatus.
Thus, it would be desirable to have an infant care apparatus having a light and/or sound producing device to indicate the occurrence of an alarm condition without, at the same time, causing stress in the infant by startling that infant.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an infant care apparatus that has a base and a frame extending upwardly from the base and which has an infant platform extending outwardly, preferably in cantilever manner from the frame. The infant platform has a flat, planar surface to provide a support for positioning the infant. Various alarms are provided to alert the caregiver of the existence of certain conditions, among them are malfunctions of the infant care apparatus, certain conditions of the infant or may be any number of other functions or parameters that are outside certain defined limits allowed by the infant care apparatus and its alarm system.
In the operation and function of the alarm system, there are, of course, alarm indicating devices which include an audible sound producing device that responds to a signal from the alarm system when an alarm condition has been sensed and the alarm triggered. The sound producing device, typically a speaker, thus emits a sound to alert the attending personnel of the existence of the alarm condition to allow the personnel to assess the situation, determine the type and cause of the alarm and to take the appropriate action. In addition, or alternatively, there may be a light producing device that also responds to a signal from the alarm system of the infant care apparatus, and which produces a light to alert the attending personnel of that alarm condition. In either case, the particular alarm signal may be coded so as to make the determination of the cause of the alarm easier for the personnel to recognize.
In carrying out the present invention, however, the sound and the light producing devices are shielded from direct communication with the infant positioned within the infant compartment, that is, the sound producing device is located on the infant care apparatus in such a location that there is a sound shielding or audible sound barrier interposed between the sound producing device and the infant so that the effect of the sound is muted or blocked altogether to prevent that sound from startling the infant.
In addition, as a further preventative measure to the startling of the infant by an audible alarm, the sound producing device is oriented in a direction such that the sound is directed away from the infant and not towards the infant, that is, the sound producing device is directed so as to maximize the sound toward the caregiver that needs to be aware of an alarm condition while, at the same time, the sound is directed away from the infant.
In similar fashion, the light producing device is also located on the infant care apparatus such that there is a light barrier located between the infant and the light producing device to prevent that light indicative of an alarm condition, and which may be blinking, to create an attention getting signal, from reaching the eyes of the infant and cause the infant to be startled or over stimulated.
In the preferred embodiment, the sound producing device is affixed to the base of the infant care apparatus andthus is beneath the infant platform such that the infant platform itself is the sound barrier to shield the infant from the sound emitted from the sound producing device and the orientation is such that that sound is directed away from the location oft he infant.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein.